Portable yarder



Nov. 5, 1963 A. WOMACK ETAL 3, 09,

PORTABLE YARDER Filed April 12, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a E.* INVENTOR.

ARCHER L. WOMACK ARTHUR c. BLAINE Fig 7 BY BUD ORLEY ATTOR N EYS Nov. 5, 1963 A. 1.. WOMACK ETAL 3,109,522

PORTABLE YARDER Filed April 12, 1960 2 Sheets-Shet 2 INVENTOR.

ARCHER L. WOMACK ARTHUR C. BLAINE BUD ORLEY ATTORNEYS United States Patent EMF/ 522 PGRTAELE YARDER Archer L. Wonraclr, Arthur C. Elaine, and Bud tllrley,

Castle Rock, Wash, assignors to Weyerhaeuser Com.- pany, Tacoma, Wash, a corporation of Washington Filed Apr. 12, 1969, Ser. No. Zlfldd 4 Claims. ('Cl. res-an This invention relates to a portable yarder, and more particularly to such a yarder as employed for logging operations.

A primary object of this invention is the provision of a portable yarder which includes a yarder boom mounted on a truck or similar vehicle in order that the boom may be erected in places where it may be utilized to its best advantages, and in which localities no suitable spar tree is available.

Under ordinary operating conditions a spar tree must be selected and rigged for yarding operations. This operation generally takes at least a day, and the yardiig must thus be conducted only where a suitable tree is located which may be employed as a spar boom.

A primary object of the instant invention resides in the provision of a portable unit which may be readily moved to any desired locality suitable for a yard, and which may be located and rigged in a relatively few minutes, thus saving labor and time so that the yarding operations can start substantially immediately.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of such a device including a boom which may be readily lowered to :a horizontal position to facilitate the trail"- porting of the apparatus from place to place.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of this character which will accomplish all of the normal purposes and objects of the spar tree, with the added advantage of portability, and relative rapidity and ease of rigging and construction.

Still other objects (reside in the combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and features of construction, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter and disclosed in the accompanying drawing wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of this invention concept.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the yarder in accordance with the instant invention shown in rigged or operating position, alternative positions of adjustment of the boom being indicated in dotted lines.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged end elevational view taken substantially along the line 44 of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows, certain parts being broken away, and certain other parts being shown in a different position of adjustment.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line s -s of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

And FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line '77 of FIG. 6 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views in the drawing.

Having reference now to the drawings in detail, and

more particularly to FIG. 1, there is generally indicated at 10 a vehicle such as a truck, which includes a body 11 supported on the rear wheels 12 and trout wheels 13. The body ll carries an A frame generally indicated at 14, which includes a pair of oppositely disposed inclined side pieces .15, which are fixedly secured as at 16 to the truck body, and at their upper ends by means of transverse members 17 to a pair of vertically disposed parallel track members 18 (see FIG. 4). Avertically movable slide 19 is mounted for linear movement on. the tracks 18, and carries at its upper end a pair of spaced plates 21, which in turn carry a cross mounted pivot pin 22, the purpose of which will be more fully described hereinafter. A cable generally indicated at 2-3 has one end 24 secured at an upper portion of one of tracks 18, and extends downwardly about a first pulley 25 carried by slide 19 and then transversely about a second oppositely disposed pulley 26 thence upwardly to a pulley 27 carried by the other of tracks 18 in substantial transverse alignment with the end connection 24. The cable then extends downwardly about a pulley 28, from which it extends to a winding drum 2 9, which is carried by the truck body H, and powered by a conventional power plant 30. The arrangement is thus such that the slide 1% may be moved upwardly by means of the cable 23, to the position in dicated in dull lines in FIG. 1, and allowed to fall by gravity to the position indicated in FIG. 4. When the slide is in its uppermost or raised position, a pair of cars 31 carried by the slide are adapted to be aligned with ears 32, carried by the rails 18, both the cars 31 and 32 being apertured, and when their associated apertures are aligned the slide may be held in its raised posi tion by means of a suitable pin passed through the apertures. The short cable 23 is then unwrapped from around the cable 65 on the drum 29.

A boorn generally indicated at 35 is provided, and carries a pair of spaced lugs 36 which carry grooves or channels 37, which are adapted to engage the ends of pivot pin 22. The lugs 36 are spaced apart a distance in excess of that of the plates 21, so that limited rotative play of boom 35 is permitted, for a purpose to be more fully described hereinafter.

In traveling position the notches or grooves 37 engage the ends of pin 22, and the slide 19 is lowered to the position of FIG. 4, the boom 35 is disposed horizontally as indicated in the lowermost horizontal dotted lines of FIG. the front end of the boom being suitably supported by a Y fitting 46- carried by the front end of the truck 1%. When it is desired to raise the boom, the slide 19 is moved upwardly by means of the cable 23 as previously described, to the position indicated in dotted lines N inclined in FIG. 1. A cable 41 is attached to a block 42 at the lower end of the boom, and the boom is rotated about the pin 22 as an axis to the full line position shown in PEG. 1, at which time the fitting 42, which is apertured, is aligned with the corresponding fitting 43 carried by the truck body, and a suitable pin 44 is passed through the aligned apertures to secure the boom in vertically swingable relationship on the base.

The upper end of the boom carries a plate 45, which is provided at its four corners with pulley members 4s, over which extend opposed guy wires 47, the ends of which are adapted to be secured to any suitable fixed objects remotely located from the top of the boom. The guy cables 47 extend through the interior of the boom 35 and one pair extends outwardly through an upper opening over a pulley 56 mounted between a pair of side plates 51, as best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The other pair of guy cables 47 extends over a substantiall identical pulley located between a similar pair of flanges 51 positioned below the first flanges 521..

The cables 47 then each extend to an individual drum relation. The side plates 36, in their spacing from 52, carried by the truck body, there being four of these drums one for each cable, two being shown in PEG. 1, and the other two being aligned horizontally and transversely of the truck body. Each individual drum 52 may thus be powered to tension each guy cable 47, thus suitably aligning the boom or mast in appropriate vertical the assooiated'plates 21 of slide 19-permit relative rotation of the boom, in order to permit alignment thereof by tensioning the guy wires 47.

The fitting -43 is mounted on a suitable turntable 53, which is rotatably mounted onthe truck body 11, as best shownin FIGS. 4 and 5. I

Cable 41 extends about suitable pulleys 55 carried by pivotally mounted purchase blocks 56 in order to raise and lower the boomrfrom its horizontal to its vertical position. The underside of plate 45 carries a sheave or pulley 60, over which extends a haulback line 61, which extends to a haulback drum 62 carried by the truck body '11. A transverse support 63 is also carried by the upper end of the boom below the plate 45, and carries a sheave 64, over which the main line 65 extends, in turn extending to the main drum 29. Either drum 29 or 62 may be used to exert pressure on the line 41 for initially raising the boom, it being pointed out that all the drums are provided with conventional automatic dogs and jawtype clutches, so that any one may be energized or deenergized as desired. The short cable 41 is then unwound from around the cables as or 61 on the respective drum 29 or 62 so that the drum may then be used for further operations.

complishes all the objects of this invention, and others,

including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as many modifications may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

1. Ina portable yarder comprising a vehicle having a body,

a boom,

means for detachably securing the lower end of said boom to said body when in raised position,

guy cables extending from the upper end of said boom adapted for connection to stationary objects,

individual power means on said body connected to each of said guy wires for aligning said boom,

a main line extending from the top of said boom,

power means on said body controlling said main line,

a haulback line extending from the top of said boom,

power means on said body controlling said haulback line,

front and rear supports on said vehicle for carrying said boom in a horizontal position,

said rear support comprising a fixed member mounted on said body and a vertically movable member mounted on said fixed member,

a cable mounted to one of said power means for raising and lowering said vertically movable member,

a pivot pin mounted on the upper end of said vertically movable member releasably engaging lugs on said boom, and

a cable connected to the lower end ofsaid boom and to one of said power means for raising said boom.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said rear support further comprises means on said fixed and said movable members for securing said movable member in its uppermost position. V

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said movable member is mounted forwardly of the meansfor detachably securing the lower end of said boom.

4. The article of claim 1 in which said boom is tubular and said 'guy cables extend through said boom over the upper portion of its length and exit through said boom walls between the top of said boom and the said lugs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A PORTABLE YARDER COMPRISING A VEHICLE HAVING A BODY, A BOOM, MEANS FOR DETACHABLY SECURING THE LOWER END OF SAID BOOM TO SAID BODY WHEN IN RAISED POSITION, GUY CABLES EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER END OF SAID BOOM ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION TO STATIONARY OBJECTS, INDIVIDUAL POWER MEANS ON SAID BODY CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID GUY WIRES FOR ALIGNING SAID BOOM, A MAIN LINE EXTENDING FROM THE TOP OF SAID BOOM, POWER MEANS ON SAID BODY CONTROLLING SAID SAID LINE, A HAULBACK LINE EXTENDING FROM THE TOP OF SAID BOOM, POWER MEANS ON SAID BODY CONTROLLING SAID HAULBACK LINE, FRONT AND REAR SUPPORTS ON SAID VEHICLE FOR CARRYING SAID BOOM IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION, SAID REAR SUPPORT COMPRISING A FIXED MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID BODY AND A VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID FIXED MEMBER, A CABLE MOUNTED TO ONE OF SAID POWER MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBER, A PIVOT PIN MOUNTED ON THE UPPER END OF SAID VERTICALLY MOVABLE MEMBER RELEASABLY ENGAGING LUGS ON SAID BOOM, AND A CABLE CONNECTED TO THE LOWER END OF SAID BOOM AND TO ONE OF SAID POWER MEANS FOR RAISING SAID BOOM. 